Poration



Filed May 25, 1921 Patented Jan. 27, 1925.

umreo PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT LEE norms, on merit, CALIFORNIA. essrenon TO THE GUIBERSON com PORATION, on nALLAs EXAs, A CORPORATION or TEXAS.

WELL-TUBING CATCHER.

Application'fildMayQi, 1921 Serial No. 471,622.

5 California, have invented a new and useful \Vell llubing' Catcher, of which thefollowing is a specification.

' My invention relates to Well-tubing catchers, and particularly to that ty peeniployi'n g the mitomz tie expansion of it Weight compressed spring to propel zngripping member into operative position upon a fall of the Well." tubing. This {application is "substantfiell'ly identical with that ofmy abandoned application, Serial 'No. 3Q l:,17t,fild Septe1nber*16, 1919.

ukutomatic ell-tubing catchers have found extensive favor in the art Within recent years. -These devices have depended for operation upon the automatic: expansion, of-a \veight con'ip ressed spring, which acco1npenies ":1, e11 oi? the device bearing the Weighted spring. This automatic expansion has been utilized as a lllQilJlSfOl propelling grippingmembers into wedg'ing position be tween a'gwell casing iindthe device carrying the gripping members. -".l.hese prior devices have employed a Weight independent of the gripping devices to effect the spring com- "p'ression. My invention aims to eliminate "the necessity toe on independent Weight land to utilize the Weight 01 the gripping devices as the means for eliecting spring compres sion. To accomplish that endl have found it necessary to provide an entirely novel combination (it parts and enufloy constructions and principles not liere'ltolfore found in'w'ell tublng catchers. v V V 11' ob ect of my invention s to; provide "111 efiv'ell-tubin g catcher ofthe tiqfmiretefleci to,

two sections of a well tubing an' cl will in} tainunbroken the passage through theiv'ell tubing as illustrated.

Referring to the. drawings:

Figure l'is n vertical section of it Well casing illustrating in elevation ziwell-tiibing catcher embodying my invention positioned within a string of Well tubing during nor niel operations.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of thewell cas ing and device oi Fig. 1 illustrating the position ess'inned by the parts thereof upon a break or iellof the wen tubing.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken one lineindicetedby {US-W13 injFi-g. 1.

Fig. 4: is a horizontal section taken on line indicated by ru -w in'Fig. 1.

Inthe drawings, 1 indicates a ivell casing enclosing a. Well tubingh'eving zifn upper section. 2-zincl a loi e-rsection 3, a tubingc et'cher being interposed between said sections.

The tubing catcher includes ebOdy QhW- lower extension 6. The coneslieped'portion 5 1S PI'OVldftlWltll an ennular shoulder 7 and a neck 8. Theneok 8 1s threaidedfor connection with the end of the well tube "sec' provided with an annularshoulder 1O correspondlng in diameter to the annular sheulder 7- on the cone portion 5. "Thee'xtension 6 is threaded at its upper end Within the cone portion 5 and is threeded at it'slower end for connection with the end of thewelltube sections 3. The extension 6 has efcentral bore 11 registering With the bore9 oi the cone section and, with the bore ,o'tthe We'll ti'ibing. Although the body 4; is coin-- posed of the portions 5. and 6, when QSSBIH bled the SEIHjGJfUDCtiOHS 21s on integral strnc ture. Thebody tinay be'i nserted between n.-

plurelity of guide rose 12 extend tlroin in spaced relation parallel to the conical surfzice of the body section 5.

G pp n Wedging members 18 are slidably mounted upon the rods 12. The outer faces of the members 13 are serrate-d circninterentially and in general parallel to the well-casing l. The other side of each of the members 13 is smooth and conforms to the angulerfaces of the cone surface of the body 4-. In the art these members :ire'deiiolnineted slips The cone shaped surface on the body l forms an expanding abutn'ient for the slips. ln normal use the slips 13 are positioned in contracted position along the expan-zlianment. Upon a. fall of the well tubing carrying the device the slips are propelled in a manner hereinafter described along the expanding abutment to the wedging position illustrated in Fig. 2.

Means are incorporated in the device for autoniiatically propelling the slips relative to the expanding abutn'ient. A. compression spring 1% is positioned between the annular shoulder and each of the slips 1 The slips 13 are. each formed with a chamber extending upward from their undersides. The compression springs l-ilsurround the guide rods 12 and bear at one end against the slips 13 within the chamber 15 and at the other end upon the annular shoulder 10. The weight of the slips 13 relative to the tension or expansion force of the springs 14; is such that the slips 13 normally maintain the springs under compression. The lower outer edge 16 of the slips 13 is slanted or beveled oil to coincide with a beveled lip 17 formed on the periphery of the annular shoulder 10. Normally the slip 13 will be seated on the lip 17 with the springs 14 under compression as illustrated in Fig. 1, so that the springs while compressed by the slips do not constitute the sole support for the same. The weight of the slips 18 relative to the tension of the springs 14 is great enough to cause the slips to seat as described, but is not so great as to deter the springs from automatically propelling the slips to expanded position as l'iereinafteii' described.

The slips 13 are connected together by pins or links 18, so that the slips will act in unison. In Fig. 4 the construction and assembly of the links 18 is illustrated in detail.

The tubing catcher is assembled on or within a string of well tubing and during normal operations the parts u'iaintaii'i the positions illustrated in Fig. I. The well tubing may be raised or loweredunder emltrol without interference from the tubing; catcher because the weight of the slips maiutains the springs under coin ncssion and the slips remain out of engagement with the well casing. Upon a break or fall of the well tubing carrying the tubing catcher the compression within the springs 14- will be automatically released and the slips will pass along the conical abutment to the expanded position illustrated in Fig. 9. The fall of the well tubing will. he thereupon checked by the wedging of the slips between the well casing and the conical abutment.

It should be noted that the weight of the slips is relied upon to compress the springs. in that respect my invention reduces one number of parts required in prior devices to perform the same function. But to utilize the weight of the slips as the sole means for compressing the springs necessitates that the springs shall be relatively small and the device thus provided extremely sensitive. Therefore it is necessary to provide particularly against derangement of the parts during normal operation of the well-tubing. The opposed annular shoulders 7 and 10 are effective for that purpose as they protect the spring poised slips above and below from abnormal contact with anvthinp within the well. The mounting of the springs within the chambers in the slips protects the same from being sanded up or otherwise fouled by extraneous material within the well. pan ticularly as normally the spring (llE1l)1l)l'S are in effect sealed by the seating of the slips on the shoulders 10. The fact that the slips are seated on the shoulders 10 insures that the movement incident to the lowering or raising of the well-tubing on the vibration of the same during pumping will not cause the slips to shift to wedging position as might tend to occur if the slips were sensitively mounted solely on the coiled springs.

As appears from the above I have provided a device of the character referred to embodying novel principles of action and improved expedients of construction. The device is efficient and durable in action and economical and simple to manufacture. It may be positioned at any desired point on a string of well'tubing.

lVhile l have illustrated a preferred em bodiment of my invention incorporating various dependent and independent fea tures, it is to be understood that my invention is not limitedv to the details of construc tion and relation of parts in such preferred embodiment but is of the scope set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A well tubing catcher comprising an expanding abutment, slips slidably mounted on the abutment. and compression springs norn'ially maintained under compression by the, weight of the slips, the compression of the springs being automatically released upon a fall of the device to propel the slips to expanded position.

2. A Well tubing catcher comprising an. expanding abutment, slips slidably mounted on the abutment and compression springs under the slips, the weight of the slips normally maintaining the springs under compression and the slips seated upon a shoul der below the abutment.

3. A well tubing catcher comprising a body including an expanding abutment, spaced annular shoulders above and below said abutment, guide rods extending parallel to said expanding abutment intermediate said shoulders, and spring poised slips on said rods slidable along said abutment.

ill)

lit)

411. A Well tubing catcher comprising a body including an expanding abutment, spaced annular shoulders above and below said abutment, guide rods extending inter mediate said shoulders, slips slidable on said rods along said abutment, compression springs under said slips and seated on the lower of said shoulders, the Weight of said slips maintaining said springs normally under compression.

5. A Well tubing catcher comprising an expanding abutn'ient, slips slidably mounted along the abutment, and compression springs seated upon a shoulder below said abutment, said springs extending Within chambers formed in the underside oil? said slips and normally maintained under compression by the Weight of said slips.

6. In a Well tubing catcher a spring poised slip, the Weight of the slip normally maintaining the spring under compression so that upon a fall the compression Will be released to automatically expand the slip.

7. A Well tubing catcher comprising a body including an expanding abutment, slips slidably mounted on the abutment and compression springs under the slips, the Weight of the slips normally maintaining the springs under cmnpression, and links connecting the slips to cause the slips to move in unison.

8. In a Well tubing catcher a spring poised slip, the Weight of the slip and the power of the spring being relatively pro portioned so that normally the slip will compress the spring sufliciently to maintain the slip in retracted position and upon the tubing falling the spring Wlll automatically propel the slip to expanded position.

Signed at Taft, California, this 12th day of May, 1921.

ROBERT LEE BURNS. Witnesses MATIE G. JONES, M. F. GRAVELLE. 

